With releases on labels such as Rebellion, Crosstown Rebels and Saved, Alex Kennon is a name you’ve probably encountered by now.
Alex’s brand of rolling house and techno has seen him travel the world from Europe, to North America, and across to Brazil. Alex is also no stranger to the clubs in his home base of Ibiza, where he can regularly be seen playing at Ushuaia, Pacha, Destino, and Privilege. It was also here during the 2018 DJ Awards that he won the title of ‘Best Breakthrough DJ’, which was an important acknowledgement from within the industry…
On this Balance Selections mix, Alex features tracks, and remixes from the likes of Richy Ahmed, Henrik Schwarz, Anja Schneider, and Spektrum, alongside some of his own productions…
Balance Selections Q+A
Name: Alex Kennon
Location: Ibiza, via Italy
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alexkennonofficial/
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/alex-kennon-dj
Labels affiliated with: Saved, Crosstown Rebels, Bedrock
My last 3 releases
Alex Kennon & Piero Pirupa – Vision Ep [Rebellion]
Raw District & Fabrice Lig Feat. Just Her – ‘Lay Your Weapons Down’ (Alex Kennon Remix) [Crosstown Rebels]
Alex Kennon – No Plastic [VIVa MUSic]
What music did you listen to as a child?
Growing up, I always heard music from Funky acts such as George Benson, Crown Height Affair, etc. until my first Pop Electro love – The Cure. Phil Collins, Depeche Mode, and Massive Attack were also favourites of mine as a child too.
When was the first time that you realized that you liked electronic music?
I can remember hearing Kraftwerk as a child at home and when my father gave me as a present The Cure’s album ‘Disintegration’ – it’s Pop Punk with big electronic flavours.
When was the first time you saw a DJ in a club?
I think it was around 2004 – Francois K, Luciano & Laurent Garnier.
Which producers/artists/acts inspire you?
Many of them. From Laurent Garnier, Soul Capsule, to Henrik Schwarz – I always feel like there music takes me to an emotional dimension.
What was the last album that you downloaded/bought?
James Blake’s ‘Assume Form’, it’s a great album being a 360 degrees piece of music.
What is your current production and DJ setup like?
My current hardware setup in the studio for production is an Akai MPC 2000 with a Eurorack Modular, a Roland 303 and a Prophet 6. For software, I used Albeton 10 with an Apollo 4 UAD for the plug ins. For DJ-ing I’m currently using 4x Pioneer CDJ 2000NXS2 for creating loops live, an Allen & Heath Xone 92 mixer and a Pioneer RMX100 – this setup is really fun and gives you an ‘analog’ touch to the sets.
What releases do you have on the horizon?
Two weeks ago my EP with Piero Pirupa ‘Vision’ was released on Rebellion, it was received some big support from Pete Tong on BBC Radio 1 as well as other great DJ’s such as Kölsch, Nic Fanciulli, Damian Lazarus and more. ‘Turning’ from the EP reached the Top 20 in Beatport’s Tech-House chart!
The next EP coming up is on Nic Fanciulli’s label Saved, which is out in May. I also have a track coming out on Circus Recordings, a remix on Yousef’s forthcoming album as well as a lot more unreleased stuff in the works.
Where can we hear you perform?
I have just come back from Miami where I played Damian Lazarus’ Get Lost party, then this weekend I am playing Soho Garden in Dubai and CHI by Decadence in Kiev. Really excited about the end of April too as I will be playing for the first time at the superlative Sunwaves Festival in Romania.
Tell us more about the podcast you made for Balance?
In my podcast, I tried to include some of my own tracks plus lots of new music. I always love to make podcasts and mixes as it’s a great way to showcase what I am about, with me ensuring that I pay attention to the whole mix giving it my personal touch. I hope you’ll like it, grooveee and vibes!
My Recommendations
The top track in my DJ wallet currently is:
‘Spektrum – Kinda New (Tiefschwarz Dub Mix)’, which I believe is from 2004.
If I could recommend only one of my tracks for you to listen to it would be:
My last remix on Crosstown Rebels, I think it’s something special…
My favourite Balance compilation is:
My favourites are from Kölsch and Max Cooper – they are great!
The last movie I watched that I really liked:
Green Book
My favourite TV show:
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
If I could choose anyone to compile a Balance comp it would be:
Depeche Mode
Tracklisting:
1. Acid Terrace – Sammy W & Tobus
2. Jay Hill & Lazarusman – I am Here (Richy Ahmed remix)
3. Anja Schneider – Closer (Original mix)
4. The Chain – Geo
5. Planet Funk – All on me (ItaloBros remix)
6. CJ Jeff – Eye Contact (Mathias Kaden’s Full Contact remix)
7. Alex Kennon – The Lover
8. Sinisa Tamamovic – Rings
9. (Unknown)
10. Spektrum – Kinda New (Tiefschwarz Dub mix)
11. Alex Kennon – I cant get you
12. Pirupa & Alex Kennon – Turning
13. The Detroit Experiment – Think Twice (Henrik Schwarz remix)
